Election signs sprang up across Quebec overnight. It’s Day 0 of the 2026 election campaign.
The premier signed the decree calling the election. The lieutenant-governor obliged, and Quebecers are officially headed to the polls.
The campaign itself, however, begins Friday. Under the Election Act, it begins the day after the election decree is issued and ends when the polls close on election day.
So the campaign officially begins tomorrow. Today is Day 0.
The campaign will last 39 days—the maximum allowed by law. The minimum is 33 days. The longest campaign lasted 76 days; that was in 1892. The shortest campaign lasted 21 days; that was in 1904.
I’ve challenged myself to bring you a daily roundup each evening throughout the 39-day campaign—except on Sundays. We all need a break now and then.
Since there will be plenty of media coverage, I won’t bore you with a scholarly 3,000-word essay. Instead, you’ll get a brief analysis followed by recurring features such as the “number of the day,” the “quote of the day,” and a few surprises along the way.
I can’t promise this will be the only campaign coverage you’ll need, but I’ll do my very best to make it a sharp, lively, and worthwhile read.
So let’s get started!
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The state of play
At the time of dissolution, the CAQ still held an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly. Notably, nine MNAs were sitting as independents, most of them former CAQ members. That’s more than the entire PQ caucus and nearly as many as the Québec solidaire caucus.
If the election were held tomorrow…
The latest Léger poll has the PQ leading with 30% support. The QLP and the CAQ are tied at 23%, followed by the Conservative Party (16%) and Québec solidaire (7%).
It looks close. It isn’t.
If the election were held tomorrow, Qc125 projects the Parti Québécois to win a commanding plurality of seats—just two ambitious floor-crossers short of a majority.
The signs
The first signs are up. Those from the Parti Québécois, the Conservative Party, and Québec solidaire are pretty standard, though the QS signs have a faint ’80s vibe—but nothing out of the ordinary.
The CAQ, on the other hand, has its candidates looking to the viewer’s right (their left), at least on the individual posters.
On the signs featuring the party leader, CAQ candidates look straight at the camera.
It caught my eye because, in photography, a basic principle is that the subject’s gaze directs the viewer’s attention. That’s why subjects in promotional photos—especially campaign portraits—generally look straight at the camera.
What’s most striking is that the CAQ is therefore using two different portraits of its 127 candidates (once the slate is complete), with all the extra shooting, editing, image selection, and printing logistics that entails.
I imagine this isn’t a problem for the CAQ, which continues to be flush with millions of dollars from Quebec’s public party-financing system.
As for the QLP, it has chosen to show its candidates standing in front of children running down the street.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent a lot of time in recent years telling my kids to do exactly the opposite.
“Avançons.” Really?
The health-care system cannot keep up with patients’ needs. Schools are chronically short of teachers and support staff. Public infrastructure is crumbling. Public finances are in the red. By every one of those basic measures, Quebec is worse off than it was eight years ago—courtesy of the outgoing government.
A campaign slogan was never going to be “Sorry,” of course. But couldn’t anyone at the CAQ come up with something better than “Avançons” (“Let’s move forward”)?
As the old political joke goes: “We’re standing at the edge of a cliff. Now let’s take a step forward.”
Number of the day: 8
Étienne Pineau Saindon was dropped as the Liberal candidate in Rimouski due to “unacceptable behaviour,” though no details have been made public.
He is the eighth Liberal candidate to withdraw or be dropped, and the campaign has not even officially begun.
Word of the day: “squaw”
François Gariépy, a Parti Québécois candidate, had already made headlines for his sexist, misogynistic, and vulgar remarks. Now we can add an anti-Indigenous slur to the list, since he had to apologize for using the word “squaw” to refer to Indigenous women in 2022. PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon downplayed the incident, saying that “this isn’t a recent statement.” Sure. If you count in dog years, that’s 28 years ago.
A natural choice, then, for minister responsible for Relations with First Nations.
The campaign, as seen from the United States
“Quebec will hold an election on October 5, with polls showing that the next government is likely to be formed by separatists who want independence for the predominantly French-speaking Canadian province—but not while U.S. President Donald Trump is in office.”
Via Reuters
French, you say?
“This is manufactured. There’s the sovereignty party trying to run, and they’re in the lead in Quebec.”
— Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, again claiming that the French-language issue in Canada–U.S. trade talks was manufactured to prevent a PQ victory. He also said he had cut ties with Jeffrey Epstein.
Four years ago
Voting intentions on August 27, 2022, according to Léger. The campaign would start two days later.
· CAQ: 42%
· QLP: 17%
· QS: 15%
· QCP: 14%
· PQ: 9%
The results on October 3:
· CAQ: 41% (-1)
· QLP: 14% (-3)
· QS: 15% (=)
· QCP: 13% (-1)
· PQ: 15% (+6)
Except for the Parti Québécois’s six-point gain, voter support barely moved over the course of the campaign.
Hardly reigning supreme
In recent months, Quebec media outlets have repeatedly described the Parti Québécois as “reigning supreme” (trône) or “riding high” (caracole) in the polls. These may be stock expressions, but they seem rather grand for a front-runner with just 30% support.
The PQ is leading. But at 30%, it is hardly reigning supreme. That this could translate into a majority government is another matter.
P.S. If either the CAQ or the QLP takes the lead with 30%, it won’t exactly be “riding high,” either.
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That’s it for Day 0. The campaign begins in earnest tomorrow.
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My name is Patrick Déry. I’m a French-speaking Québécois writing for a living, and trying something different here. If you enjoyed reading this text, you can support me by buying me a coffee. You can also subscribe to this media (free or paid, your choice).
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